In many cases, the end of the year gives you time to step back and take stock of the last 12 months. This is when many of us take a hard look at what worked and what did not, complete performance reviews, and formulate plans for the coming year. For me, it is all of those things plus a time when I u...

Keeping pace with the global trend of MOOC's (Mass Open Online Courses) offered by the Harvards and Standfords, Chennai-based myBskool.com has partnered with the Madras Management Association (MMA) to offer a 100-day, 100-hour (an hour a day) free online mini MBA programme. The content for the programme has been co-created in partnership with IIM Ranchi and has been hosted on myBskool.com's Social Learning Platform and is already being used by students at IIM Ranchi, IMT - Ghaziabad and other B-Schools.

The free online mini-MBA is a condensed version of a full-fledged MBA and is aimed at providing a solid foundation in current business theory and practices.

Online video lectures and case studies by top management faculty will cover subjects like Fundamentals of Accounting, Principles of Marketing, Managing Human Resource, Essentials of Business Communication and Business Strategy. For details, call: Ms. Geetha @ 99400 09899.

Working professionals, executives, small business owners and students interested in improving their business knowledge and managerial skills without a formal qualification in management will find this course apt and useful.

"It is estimated that India will require close to 20 million managers over the next 10 years with basic knowledge in business fundamentals and concepts. It is a well-known fact that there is already an acute shortage for managers at the entry and middle levels where the demand is only expected to grow exponentially in the years to come. Our mission at MMA is to provide quality management education to the masses and this partnership with myBskool.com is another step towards our mission," said Group Captain. R Vijaykumar, VSM, Executive Director, MMA.

"Online education is becoming more popular both among students and employers due to its flexibility and affordability. It may be noted that initiatives like Coursera of the Stanford have attracted millions of learners for their online courses across the globe. Many more renowned universities worldwide are moving into the era of internet based education," said Prof. MJ Xavier, IIM Ranchi. "The myBskool course content has been designed keeping in mind India's relevant context and globally relevant content," he added.

While myBskool.com brings state-of-the-art technology and world class content in the form of video lectures co-created with IIM Ranchi, MMA would bring to the table experts from the industry for Live Virtual Classes conducted as part of this 100-day free programme.

"The pedagogy involves pre-recorded video learning modules with fully interactive and collaborative features like the discussion forums, online chats, quizzes and live virtual classrooms. The entire course content will be made available on an anytime, anywhere learning mode using the `portable classroom' model. As working professionals would need to take a break in career to be physically present for classes, it is a challenge for most of them to pursue higher education. myBskool.com is offering this mini-MBA in online mode to break the barriers of time and distance," said Mr. K. Swaminathan, CEO, myBskool.com.

In order to motivate learners and complete the course, myBskool.com would be awarding a Badge of Honour to every learner who meets certain pre-defined criteria.

About myBskool.com:

"Life does not stop after college… so, why should learning?"

When a group of thought leaders in both academics and business started pondering this seemingly surreal question, the result was the formation of ThinkBig Edu Venture (India) Pvt. Ltd.

The vision of ThinkBig Edu Venture is to empower and facilitate a global student base to learn from the very best educators and institutions regardless of subject matter, location, and time. This transformational delivery model of high-quality education has opened up new avenues of learning and lifelong skill development for the knowledge workforce.

Our cutting edge cloud-based Social Learning Platform with mobile access and social interaction features provide a conventional classroom like environment with all the convenience and flexibility of a Distance Education Program. Through this platform and our partnerships with preeminent institutions of higher education, we deliver rigorous academic programs to a global student base. For more details, visit www.myBskool.com.

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